TRAVELAvignon Has a Side Most People Never See8 min read

A Cathedral With Papal Tombs Inside

The Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d’Avignon dates to the 12th century and sits at the top of a rocky outcrop near the Palais des Papes. Its architecture blends Romanesque and Gothic styles, and its facade carries intricate sculptural detail. Inside, the cathedral holds the Papal tombs — sarcophagi of several popes from the Avignon period — which makes it one of the few places in France where you can stand directly beside the remains of medieval pontiffs. The stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings contribute to the interior atmosphere, but the real payoff is the terrace. From there, the views extend across the cityscape and the surrounding Provençal countryside for miles. Ascending to the terrace at dusk, when the light turns the stone buildings golden, produces one of the more memorable views in southern France.

Walls That Have Stood Since the 14th Century

The ramparts encircling Avignon’s historic center were purpose-built in the 1300s to protect the city during an unstable period in European history. They are not ruins or reconstructions — they are largely intact, with watchtowers, stone battlements, and fortified gates still defining the edge of the old city. Walking the walls gives a practical sense of how medieval urban defense actually worked: the scale of the fortifications, the sight lines from the towers, the logic of where the gates were placed. The ramparts also function as a raised walkway from which you can see the Rhône River, the Pont Saint-Bénézet, and the city’s skyline from angles unavailable at street level. For photography, the late afternoon light on the stone is particularly effective.